When I was in Junior High, I had the opportunity to hear a speaker talk about Positive Mental Attitude. His name has been lost somewhere among the cobwebs in my mind, but I remember what he said. I remember being excited with possibilities of what I could do with my life. It didn't have to matter that I was a poor country girl; I could be somebody. I could have dreams and make them come true.

Even at fourteen, I could find examples in my life where PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) had certainly helped me achieve some of the things I set out to do. I was amazed there was a whole movement of sorts that said not only can you do anything you wanted here in the United States of America, but that your odds were vastly improved if you just believed you could succeed.

I have read and researched quite a bit since then about this whole positive mental attitude thing, and over thirty years and many books and experiments and observations later, I have concluded that it certainly helps in almost anything.

If you already own your own business, you probably developed your own positive mental attitude by trial and error, as most of us do. If you are still in the planning stages, your attitude and beliefs will have as much or more to do with your success as anything else. And, as we grow our businesses and go through life, the view from the bright side is just so much nicer!

Here are some of my favorite “PMA” quotes that you can print and post on your bulletin board for an extra shot of “you can do it” for the coming year.

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” William James

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” Johann von Goethe

“If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it.” Jonathan Winters

“Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” Henry Ford

“If you have built your castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” Henry David Thoreau

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” Lou Holtz